How to Make Yourself UN-FIREABLE to Your Employer, Customers or Clients

Wealthy individuals are fanatics when it comes to self-improvement. The reason? Wealthy people understand that continuous self-improvement keeps them sharp and tuned in to the latest changes taking place that might affect their company, their industry or their profession. Knowledge creates opportunities and opportunities lead to good luck and good luck leads to more wealth. Engaging in continuous self-improvement makes individuals more valuable to their employer, customers or clients and helps them to rise up the ladder of financial success. I uncovered four self-improvement strategies that the wealthy put to use on a daily basis in order to make themselves UN-FIREABLE to their employer, customers or clients: They are: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Doing. Each one gets you higher up the ladder of financial success.

Strategy #1 Reading
In my five-year research study on the daily habits of wealthy and poor individuals, I made a profoundly important discovery: 88% of the wealthy individuals in my study read self-help books, self-help articles, industry-related books and industry-related articles. The wealthy are fanatics when it comes to reading. Wealthy people in my study told me that by reading they are able to increase their knowledge-base and are able to uncover more opportunities and these opportunities translate into more money. The wealthy in my study set aside an average of 30 minutes each day dedicated to self-help reading. Comparatively speaking, only 2% of the poor in my study engaged in this self-help reading.

Strategy #2 Writing Writing is a form of communication. Anytime you communicate to groups of others about a topic you are forced to increase your knowledge on that topic. Thus, you read more, you do more analysis and you search for more information from other experts on the topic. Successful individuals engage in writing in a number of ways including: company newsletters, industry newsletters, newspaper articles, industry publication articles, Internet articles, customer/client letters and sometimes books. Writing helps you get noticed in your industry and perceived as an expert. It increases your visibility in your industry and your value to your employer, customers or clients.18% of the wealthy in my study engaged in writing, compared to 0% of the poor.

Strategy #3 Speaking
Speaking, like writing, is a form of communication. Speaking requires an even greater understanding of your subject matter than writing because you may be asked questions about the material. Not having the answer in this very public forum puts you at risk for looking foolish and is also embarrassing. When you are “the expert” on a speaking topic you are expected to know the material inside and out. This requires a more detailed study that reading and writing together cannot provide. Speaking forces you to dig deeper and expand your knowledge-base. Speaking elevates your perceived expertise in the eyes of your audience, who may be colleagues, customers, clients or prospects.23% of the wealthy in my study engaged in speaking. 0% of the poor in my study engaged in speaking.

Strategy #4 Doing
There is no better way to perfect your knowledge in an area than through repetition by doing. Repetition in a particular area gets you closer to perfection than reading, writing or speaking ever could. Each time you repeat a specific task in a particular area you become more efficient and more expert. Repetition allows you to make and fix mistakes. It allows you to improve and perfect your skill-set. Through repetition by doing you will, in time, become a master in a particular task or subject matter. Doing raises you to the highest wrung on the career ladder of success.

The most successful of individuals employ all four career-related self-improvement strategies. But here’s the great news. You can become wealthy by dedicating yourself to just one of these four strategies. Make no mistake about it; it’s not an easy discipline. But the by-product is increased success in your field and the discovery of opportunities that are hidden to most. Opportunities that were there all along, but could not be seen until you took that important step of engaging in continuous, daily, self-improvement.

I like to use the following metaphor to best explain how these strategies work to uncover opportunities:

Imagine for a moment that you find yourself surrounded by trees. Imagine each tree represents an opportunity that you can see. Now imagine off to the side of these trees is a hill. This hill is a metaphor for self-improvement. What happens when you climb that hill (what happens when you engage in daily self-improvement)? As you climb higher and higher up the hill you begin to notice that there are many more trees (opportunities). When you get to the top of the hill only then do you realize you were in a forest and what you now see are not just individual trees but a forest; a forest of opportunities. Climbing that self-improvement hill exposes you to more opportunities in life and in your career.

Utilizing one or more of these self-improvement strategies will make you more valuable to your employer, customers and clients. Your real and perceived expertise elevates you both within your organization and without it. When your employer, customers or clients perceive you as indispensable you become UN-FIREABLE.

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The content is developed from sources believed to be providing accurate information. The information in this material is not intended as tax or legal advice. Please consult legal or tax professionals for specific information regarding your individual situation. Some of this material was developed and produced by FMG Suite to provide information on a topic that may be of interest. FMG Suite is not affiliated with the named representative, broker – dealer, state – or SEC – registered investment advisory firm. The opinions expressed and material provided are for general information, and should not be considered a solicitation for the purchase or sale of any security.